Poesía para el bien común / Poetry of the Commons
In 2023 I led artist team Ana Cadena Payton and Daniel Peréz Rios in the development and implementation of Poesía para el bien común / Poetry of the Commons in Monterrey Mexico.
As a socially engaged art project that uses the technological spaces in the city of Monterrey to address social justice issues, Poesía para el bien común website brought to life the proposal's stated criteria of "processes of artistic-technological experimentation and interaction with the community" in response to the Curatorial Question: “Experimental Creation for Social Justice”.
With this stated criteria in mind, the project’s general outline was:
- Community engagements to understand the culture of thinking that informs future website prompts for public response. These may include socioeconomic, sociodemographic, environmental, or other issues the participant feels is important to them.
- Website design, programming, and testing to support early community engagement prompts as they develop in real time.
- Driving audience to website via social engagements, public meetings, social and print media.
- Inclusive outreach of all communities including, and especially, communities where the project may bridge possible digital divides.
- LED screens that project scrolling website content using built in wi-fi capability or portable access through 3rd party systems.
- Capacity building through project workshops titled Ethics of Community Engagement and Computer Programming for Socially Engaged Art at Tecnológico de Monterrey and LAB Nuevo Leon.
- Ongoing participation through multiple project entry points, building upon the poetry created by the citizens of Monterrey in response to participant generated issues.
- As a feedback loop, and in no particular order the project workflow consists of: website - LED reader boards - social medias - in person contact - website - LED Reader boards - social medias - in person contact, and so on...
Poesía para el bien común / Poetry of the Commons is funded and supported by Residencias Artísticas: Creación Experimental para la Justicia Social; Arts Initiative of the Tecnológico de Monterrey; Art and Culture axis of the FEMSA Foundation; Nuevo León Ministry of Culture; LABNL
Workshop student conducting supervised community engagements
Market place community engagements by artist, accompanied by workshop student
Grass roots outreach
Project outreach in public spaces
Project outreach in sticker form
Artist led workshops
One of many scrolling questions developed from community engagements, tested by focus groups. "What do you want to say to your city?" Redaction of naughty words in black.
Project presentation to academic, research, and policy making audience
Artists presenting project at arts and culture space, Garagantuas
Projection of live streaming content at arts and culture space Garagantuas. Participants use smart phones to upload comments that are randomly selected in real time
Monitors to the website provide entry points at numerous venues
Live streaming of content is projected onto urban surfaces
Live streaming on LED reader boards. Artist team in foreground
Project access reaching across International borders
Entry into website. Scan qr code, then scroll to bottom of page for Tutorial de Uso/ tutorial of use
Initial conceptual project work flow diagram